ULTIM JEWE

Naomi Lord

Director

of Creative Learning and Partnerships

As an interdisciplinary arts and humanities educator, I have extensive experience in developing and managing arts programmes in both educational and community settings. My key areas of interest and expertise include whole school arts management, creative thinking and project-based learning, educational partnership development, community arts youth voice, embedding inclusive practice, and grass-roots stimulation of cultural capital I am a steering member of Bolton's Cultural Education Partnership and Cultural Leaders Group. Additionally, I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Specialist Leader in Cultural Education with Arts Council England I am an alumna of the Royal Opera House's National Leaders for Impact programme, which helped me to develop skills in strategic leadership, particularly in promoting arts education and developing the arts in the community.

I bring a range of additional facilitation skills to my practice These include event and project co-design and delivery, theater production, creative writing, and fine arts I founded and facilitate Creatives Now, a youthled arts co-creation project in my local community. I have written for various publications, including the RSA Journal and ACE Creativity Exchange. My qualifications include an MA in Gender, Literature and Modernity.

This ongoing project is designed to be an extracurricular activity to promote the acquisition of creative thinking skills in young people. The co-creation ethos of Creatives Now involves collaboration with creative practitioners and experts to enable socially-applied projects based on young people's interests and led by them. The project emphasises the importance of selfreflection and critique, as well as collaboration and consultation.

Assessment methods include online consensus activities using tools such as Mural, collaborative studio-wall planning and reviews, self-report questionnaires, and authentic 'tests' via event delivery. The project promotes interdisciplinary projectbased learning engaged in the locality and underlines the importance of pupil portfolios to capture holistic learning experiences.

Key Findings

Allowing young people the time and means to design and deliver purposeful tasks enables them to master processes, self-manage their own projects, and generate multiple, complex, and interlinked responses.

Lessons learned indicate that stepping out of curricular time, promoting vertical learning across age groups, and providing multi-agency work opportunities rapidly upskills young people and benefits their communities

The project's co-creation ethos enables collaboration, conceptualisation, and self-reflection through selfmanagement and mastery of creative processes

Multi-agency work and vertical learning across age groups were significant factors that contributed to the project's success adding authenticity and real-world

Application

The project is successful in providing young people with a safe and purposeful working environment to develop their creative thinking skills Allowing young people to establish an inclusive working environment on their own terms radically amplifies their enthusiasm and application.

Josef Minta Art Specialist and Artsmark Co-ordinator Park Road Junior School

Like many other artists coming for a workingclass background, I initially pursued my passion alongside developing a career, only returning to it later as a core part of my identity Despite not having studied art at university, I discovered my love for art education while working at Bury Art Museum as a visitor assistant and education session leader. While teaching at a previous primary school I served as art lead, but it wasn't until I reconnected with my own practice and began crafting and exhibiting again that art became my singular focus In a previous senior teaching role, I worked to improve the school's art curriculum and encouraged staff to enhance their delivery of the subject. My current position as a full-time primary art teacher enables me to reflect my enthusiasm for my subject and explore creative opportunities with my students My research emphasises the importance of developing students' independence and critical thinking to foster greater confidence in their unique creative abilities. In my view, self-direction, deep questioning, and self-reflection are critical tools in the primary art classroom, just as essential as pencils and paint

The intervention involved selecting a group of Year 6 pupils based on a survey about their creativity This core Creative Thinking Group met weekly to explore collaboration, inquisitiveness, and formation of design briefs They recorded their thoughts and ideas in journals and worked together to produce planning documents The group developed an Art and Design scheme of work for their Year 6 peers using different models of collaboration and opportunities for inquisitiveness The pupils assessed their collaboration and inquisitiveness and recorded metacognitive reflections on their work.

Key Findings

Understanding the language of collaboration and inquiry helped boys better understand competencies, their application, and how to improve.

Quality of shared talk and interaction improved, evidenced by pupil ability to organise, discuss, speculate and respond collaboratively to stimuli. Engagement and enthusiasm were initially high, but outside factors such as exams and trips, impacted upon the learning momentum. Self-assessment showed improvement in most cases, with some registering lower on the skills self-assessment measures due to a better understanding of the terms – which in itself can be construed as an improvement. Methods included embedding creative thinking skills in routine lesson structures, developing a clear shared rubric for progress and using technology to automate data collection were successful

Overall, the project helped improve students' collaborative and inquiry skills and provided valuable lessons for future implementation

The study focused on a group of five Year 6 girls with above-average academic profiles and diverse personalities. The curriculum design and pedagogy introduced collaboration tasks in science lessons, culminating in a Capstone Project using inquirybased, problem-based, and project-based approaches The sequence of lessons included various activities to encourage collaboration and promote creative thinking. Specific collaboration objectives were developed for pupil assessment

The study aimed to deepen subject knowledge, make connections between science and history, and develop practical learning skills

Pupils created pre-learning mind maps to help to establish their existent field of knowledge and understanding before beginning formal lessons These documents were later used to inform postlearning assessments which allowed pupils and teachers to track progress and identify areas for improvement with nuance and detail

Key Findings

Pupils were encouraged to reflect on their own learning through the use of scholarly journals These journals helped students to b more self-aware and to identify ar they needed to improve Teachers journals to provide feedback and g pupils, helping them to develop th knowledge They were a form of h level metacognition corresponden A gallery review exhibit allowed p showcase and celebrate their work collaborated to present mastery of learning process to invited teache

A live outcome of this status invig and enthusiasm in metacognitive w

Helen Holt Deputy Head, Hesketh House Junior School

With over 35 years of teaching experience I have taught pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 after completing a B Ed degree at Homerton College, Cambridge I have specialised in primary music led the curriculum in various creative subjects and currently serve as Deputy Head at Hesketh House, where I focus on teaching English and oracy through creative thinking strategies Developing a creative approach to teaching and learning has been a passion of mine, and I enjoy making crosscurricular links My recent initiatives include developing strategies to promote oracy skills throughout Hesketh House and embedding character education into our curriculum via the Hesketh Habits

My current research focuses on developing critical and

Frances Putt Acting Head of English Bolton School Girls' Division

As an English teacher with eighteen years’ experience teaching secondary school students I have always had an interest in developing oracy and creativity This was enhanced through my recent Master s degree in Shakespeare and Education from the Shakespeare Institute During my studies, I experienced a range of teaching and learning strategies that worked beyond the traditional methods of teaching reading and writing My dissertation, for example, focused on using oracy to develop literacy skills through the use of rehearsal room techniques My recent projects here at Bolton, have focused on collaboration and promoting the language of creative learning

My current research focuses on developing inquisitive skills and creating opportunities for students to evaluate their creativity Students have been exploring the theme of identity in texts which has provided ample opportunities to ask questions in a range of ways to explore different perspectives Whilst providing extra challenge for students, this has also provided me with the scope to develop new forms of assessment specific to creativity

The research purpose was to track and assess creative thinking skills in year 7 students alongside current reading and writing assessment rubrics. The activity involved group projects on advertising where students were asked to design a product campaign working out the most effective marketing methods. Throughout the project, the teacher assessed collaborative skills through a teacher assessment grid and students were asked to self and peer assess their collaborative skills after each lesson. The project culminated in group presentations where students presented their ideas to the rest of the class, and they were assessed on their presentational and creative skills, with opportunities to comment on how they had worked collaboratively

Key Findings

Students were quick to adapt to new ways of learning and assessment, and were keen to be creative and work with each other. Due to time constraints, embedding the assessment grid with teaching staff was difficult, but it was effective in starting conversations with students about their work

Students placed as great an emphasis on creative skills as they did on reading and writing, showing their appreciation of the importance of an allrounded education.

Challenges include finding time to deliver the project and embedding creativity into the curriculum. We now have a basis to develop from.

Older year groups can be more hesitant to step out of traditional teaching and assessment methods

Moving forward, the department plans to explore implementing the project across KS3 and adapting current schemes to teach creative thinking alongside reading and writing.

The purpose of this action research project was to effectively capture and monitor the progress of collaborative skills development using technology, specifically the Showbie app The focus was on a group of Year 10 Computer Science pupils, and a survey was used to identify areas for improvement in collaborative skills

Pupils were then asked to post comments and reflect on their collaborative experiences in and outside of class. The use of statements to suggest behavior helped pupils reflect on how they could improve, and the Showbie app was effective in monitoring and reflecting upon progress in collaborative skills development Time constraints limited the project's comprehensive conclusion regarding success for all pupils, but the approach showed potential for tracking and assessing other creative thinking skills

The selected group was a Year 10 Computer Science class of 14 pupils A survey was used to identify areas for improvement in collaborative skills, and pupils reflected on their experiences with collaboration in and out of class by posting comments on the Showbie app

Key Findings

The use of statements to suggest behaviour proved helpful in enabling pupils to see how they could improve themselves specifically, rather than just aiming for a higher number

The Showbie app was effective in monitoring and reflecting upon progress in collaborative skills development, and could be easily re-used for selfassessment and blog-keeping. -

Despite a limited time window, the approach showed potential for tracking and assessing other creative thinking skills, and could be used to encourage pupils to consider their own progress in different skill areas. The results of the study showed that pupils were more reflective on their behaviour when collaborating postsurvey, and felt that they had developed their approach to problem-solving

Sarah Brace Head of Computing Bolton School Girls' Division

I have always been interested in computer programming and have taught Computer Science and ICT for over 25 years This has been a mixture of vocational courses key stage 3, GCSE and A level Broadening pupil experience and understanding of what is involved in Computer Science in particular and the associated logical and computational thinking skills are essential for the future Enabling pupils to engage with practical programming work and to see their satisfaction when their code works is fantastic!

I have always been involved in developing teacher practice not only my own but that of my peers and their use of technology both in and out of the class to enhance pupils learning I am always willing to try out new ideas and am eager to involve myself in relevant projects and creative groups

The second phase of our Creative Thinking Action Research work involves collaboration between Junior School and Senior School staff to explore ways of facilitating intellectual curiosity from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3, while also examining forms of assessment and moderation. We are working with Year 6 and Year 9 students, and are developing innovative approaches to support their ongoing development and growth. Through this research, we aim to deepen our understanding of how creativity and critical thinking can be nurtured in the classroom and to enhance our pedagogical practices to better meet the needs of our students as they progress from primary to secondary school.

In the year ahead, we are excited to play a part in Rethinking Assessment's development of a community of practice for the schools that have taken part in the national creative thinking programme. We look forward to being one of the leading members in sharing practice via regular webinar events e are the mid-project findings from the creative thinking ration discussions in Spring Term 2023. Some key vations include the conditions of sustained and rapid skill h, the need for bespoke measurement methods, and the ct of project-based learning on the well-being of students. eport also notes emerging and developing traits within er profiles, and the support required to encourage pupil ioning to flourish. Additionally, the report highlights the cteristics of learners that are deepening their creative ng habits

Observations:

Pronounced spikes in skill growth were observed during immersive trips and visits factored into the schemes of work The need for better measurement methods and portfolio structuring for sustained skill growth was highlighted. Creative thinking success does not always correspond with prior academic ' success ' and baseline information such as CAT scores.

Pupils with lower quartile CAT scores enjoyed the greatest acceloration in progress

Mid-scoring pupils displayed most mastery of the metacognative and practical skills within the projects

Pupils accustomed to performing 'top of the class' experienced some depression in success in this mode as they worked to shift their learning approaches from rote to exploratory.

Bravery, self-esteem, and well-being play integral roles in skill development

Overconfidence can negatively impact self-assessment accuracy. The ability to self-score lower, mid-project, corresponded with pupils' metacogantive growth

Low self-esteem can hamper self-recognition. This was anecdotally related to pupils' internalised experience of 'failing' or being 'less accademically talented' Some students lack imagination and struggle to generate catalysing questions. We noted the benefits of fostering skills of the imagination alongside intellectual curiosity as a means to resolve this.

Removal of close facilitation and definite success criteria led to accelerated skills development

Students who are deepening their inquisition skills display abstract thinking, can use closed to open questions, and transfer skills across subjects